Apparatus for rolling sheet metal.



m. 703,620. Patented July I, |9o2'. F. o. STROMBORG.

APPARATUS FOR ROLLING SHEET METAL.

(Application filed Nov. 18, 1901.)

2 Sheers-Sheet I.

(I0 Model.

- No. 703,620. Patenied July I, I902.

F. 0. STRUMBORG.

APFA ATus FOR ROLLING SHEET METAL. I (Application flled Nov. 13, 1901.)(No Model.) v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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U STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRITZ OSCAR STROMBORG OF BRADDOCK, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR ROLLING SHEET METAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,620,dated July 1,1902.

: Application filed November 13, 1901- Serial No. 82,l37. (No model.)

To ctZZ whont it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Fnrrz- OSCAR STROM- BORG, a'resident of Braddock, inthe county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Apparatus for Rolling Sheet Metal; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.

My invention relates to feeding devices for plate and sheet rollingmills, and more especially to devices for feeding sheets and packs tosheet-rolls.

The object of my invention is to dispense with the hand-labor which iscommonlyemployed in feeding sheets and packs to the rolls and to providemechanism for this purpose which will feed a sheet or pack to the rollsand pass the same continuously through the rolls and back over the same,said mechanism being so constructed that the same end of the sheet orpack will always be entered into the rolls, but being provided withmeans whereby the sheet or pack can be reversed endwise, if desired.

According to the usual method of rolling sheet metal the sheet-bar isbroken down in roughing-rolls,and a number of these rougheddown sheetsare then piled and given several passes in the hot rolls until reducedto such a gage that further reduction is'im possible on account of thespring of the rolls. These piles are then folded and then. reheated, ifnecessary, and given further passes through the hot rolls, and if thennot reduced to the desired gage they are further'folded and againrolled, as before. This process is in everyday use and is wellunderstood by those skilled in the art. In all of these rollingstepsthat is, whether roughing down or rolling in packs in the hotrollsth e sheet or pack is entered into the rolls at the front by oneworkman and is received at the rear of the roll by the catcher, whoreturns the same over the rolls to the other, who again enters the sameinto the rolls, the sheet or pack being thus passed through the rollsand back over the rolls until reduced to the desired gage or untilfurther folding or reheating becomes necessary. This method of feedingthe sheet, plate, or pack to the rolls is not only slow, so that thesheets must be frequently reheated, but it isv also quite expensive byreason of the skilled same into the rolls.

labor whichis necessary and the corresponding high wages which must bepaid for such labor. The object of my invention isto do away with thisskilled labor and also to some extent reduce the number of reheatingsnecessary in reducing the sheets to the desired gage.

To this end it comprises a conveyer extending from the rear of the rollsaround to the front thereof, said conveyer having its ends in line withand in suitable proximity to the pass of the rolls, so as to receive thesheet or pack from the rolls, convey the same around to the front ofsaid rolls, and again ehter the This mechanism also embodies certainmeans whereby the sheet or pack "may be taken from the conveyor, re-

versed endwise or folded, as desired, and then again returned to theconveyer.

1 The invention also comprises certain improvements in details ofconstruction, as will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of thepreferred form of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 isa vertical transverse-section, and Figs. 4, 5, and'6 are similar viewsof a modified form of apparatus.

In the drawings the sheet-rolls are shown at 1 and 2, said rolls beingof the ordinary two-high type and may be driven and adjusted by anyapproved mechanism. The means for receiving the sheet or pack from therolls and returning the same to the front of the rolls comprises aconveyer which, as shown, curves upwardly and over the rolls and thencecurves downwardly to the front thereof. This conveyer comprises suitableside plates 4:, preferably formed from channels, as shown, united bystay-rods 5 or other suitable means and supported by the brackets orstandards-'6. Theconveyer is con structed in'practically twosectionsnamely, the section 7, extending from the rear of the rollsupward to a point above thesame, as at pack around and back to the frontof the rolls. Various forms of mechanisms for this purpose may be used,and in Figs. l, 2, and 3 sprocketchains and 11 are shown for thispurpose, one set of such chains for each of the sections 7 and 9. Thesection 7 is provided on its inside-that is, the side toward thesheet-rolls with a series of curved guide-bars 12, which guide the sheetor pack on one side, while in section 9 these guide-bars are on theoutside that is, on the side away from the sheet-rolls. The chains 10and 11 are opposed to the guidebars 12, and consequently in section 7the chains 10 are on the outside-that is, the side away from thesheet-rolls--while in section 9 the chains 11 are on the inside-that is,toward the sheet-rolls. I have shown three such sprocket-chains in eachsection,although more or less may be used, according to the width of thesheet or pack. These chains may be driven in any suitable way, and Ihave shown the chains 10 passing overthe sprocketwheels 13 on the bottomshaft 14 and over sprocket-wheels 15 on the top shaft 16, while thechains 11 are shown as passing over sprocket-wheels 17 on the bottomshaft 18 and sprocket-wheels 1!) on the top shaft 20. Preferably the topand bottom shaft for each set of chains are geared together to rotate inunisonas, for instance, by sprocket-chains ill-and the sprocket-chainsin the two sections may also be geared together, so as to run innnison-as, for instance, by having a spur-gear 23 on the shaft 16engaging a similar spur-gear 22 on the shaft 20. The sprocketchains 21and gears 22 and 23 are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

The inside faces of the side plates 4 are provided with suitableguideways, such as the curved bars 2-1, and the sprocket-chains areprovided at in tervals with cross shafts or rods 25, having at theirends suitable wheels or antifriction devices 26, engaging the guides 24.These means serve to guide the sprocketchains in the curved paths shown.Each of the sprocket-chains is preferably provided with means forengaging the sheet or pack to feed the same forward-such, for instance,as the projecting fingers 27, which preferably are provided at theirfront sides with the projections 28 to insure a positive engagement withthe rear edge of the sheet or pack to feed the same forward.

The modification shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 is substantially the same asthat described except that in place of the guide-bars 12 andsprocket-chains 10 and 11 two sets of positively-driven rolls areused-namely, the outer rolls 29 and the inner rolls 30. These rolls toprevent chilling of the metal are preferably formed as a series of disks31, spaced apartand staggered with reference to each other, as shown inFigs. 5 and (5. One end of each of the roll-shafts is provided with asuitable pulley or sprocket-wheel adapted to receive the endless beltsor sprocket-chains 32 33, one for each section of the conveyor,

these belts or chains being guided at their ends around suitableguide-wheels or sheaves 34, as will be readily understood. One of thesets of rolls 29 or is preferably made yielding, so as to accommodateplates or packs of different sizes, and for this purpose I have shownthe outer set of rolls mounted in slotted brackets 35 and pressedinwardly by means of spiral springs 36. In this modification the guides21 are of course dispensed with.

The sheet-bar, pack, or sheet to be rolled is fed to the sheet-rolls inany'preferred manner-such, for instance, as by means of the feed-table37, whose inner end lies beneath the front end of the conveyer. Thisfeed-table is preferably provided with positively-driven means forfeeding the sheet or pack forward-such, for instance, as thesprocket-chains 38, or, if preferred, a series of live-rollers.

The operation of the apparatus as thus far described will be readilyunderstood from the foregoing description, and when used for roughingdown is as follows: The bars or billets to be rolled after having beenproperly heated are fed by the conveyer 38 to the rolls 1 and 2, throughwhich they pass and then enter the conveyer. They are then seized eitherby the positively-driven disk rolls or the sprocket-chains and carriedupward over the rolls and then downward to the front thereof and againfed to the'rolls, this process being repeated until the sheets have beenreduced to the proper gage for rolling two at atiine or have cooledsufficiently to need reheating. By means of my apparatus, however, alarger number of passes can begiven to the sheets before reheating isnecessary than in the old hand method of feeding, as it can be made tooperate very rapidly.

The mechanism as thus far described will always enter the same end ofthe sheet or pack into the rolls. On account of the spring of the rollsthe sheets will be reduced more at their edges than at their middle.This will cause a backward flow of the metal along the edges of thesheets, which will give to the rear ends thereof somewhat the shape of afish-tail, while the front ends thereof will be rounded. Vhen this takesplace, it is desirable to reverse the sheets endwise, so as tocounteract this effect and cause the metal in the edges of the sheets toflow in the opposite direction.

As a convenient means for reversing the sheets endwise, as well as totake them out of the conveyor when finished, or for reheating, folding,or piling, I have shown a skeleton frame 40, which is composed of arock-shaft 41, mounted in suitable bearings 42 and provided with a leveror handle 43 for rocking the same. To this rock-shaft are attached anumber of forwardly-projecting tapering fingers or bars 44. By rockingthe shaft 11 to the position shown in dotted lines, Figs. 1 and 1, theends of the fingers 4.4: are brought beframe.

low the path ofthe sheets, and as the latter are fed forward by theconveyer they are shoved upward along the fingers 44 onto the Theskeleton frame is then rocked to the position shown infull lines and thesheet will slide down the bars 45, which are supported on theconveyer-frame or otherwise, with their upper ends in proximity to therock: shaft 41 and their lower ends in proximity to the forks 46. Theforks 46 are supported on the inner ends of arms 47, secured to therockshaft 48, whichis journaled in suitable standards 49. Thisrock-shaft may be provided with a lever or arm for rocking the same, orit may be provided with a counter-weighted arm 50, as shown,whichconnterweighted arm will hold the forks 46 in the position shown inFigs. 1 and 4 until the sheet slides down into the same from the bars45, when the weight of the sheet will overcome the counterweight androck the inner endsof the arms 47 downward to such position that thesheet will be caught by the conveyer 38 and returned to the sheet-rolls.It will be observed that in this procedure the sheet will be reversedend for end, so that in the further rolling of the same theirregularities at its ends will be somewhat eradicated. In this manner asheet may be reversed endwise whenever desired. Furthermore, when thesheet has been reduced to the desired gage or so it i must be folded theskeleton frame is rocked to the dotted-line position to extract thesheet from the conveyer and the forks 46 are turned down sufficiently tocause the sheet as it slides down from the bars 45 to strike on theouter orupper side thereof and slide onto the floor.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device for feeding sheets or packs to sheet-rolls, thecombination of the rolls, and a conveyer extending from the rear of therolls around to the front thereof and out of con-v tact therewith, saidconveyer having its ends in line with the same pass of the rolls'and inposition to receive the sheet or pack from, and feed the same to, saidpass.

2. In a device for feeding sheets or packs to sheet-rolls, thecombination with the rolls, of a conveyer extending from the rear of therolls around to the front thereof, said conveyer having its ends inline'with the same pass of the rolls-and in position to receive thesheet or pack from, and feed the same to, said pass, andpositively-driven feeding mechanismin said conveyer, saidfeedingmechanism being out of contact with the rolls.

3. Ina device for feeding sheets or packs to sheet-rolls, thecombination with the rolls, of a conveyer extendingfrom the rear of therolls around to the front thereof and out of contact therewith, saidconveyer having its ends in line with the samepassof the rolls and inposition to receive the sheet or pack from, and feed the same to, saidpass, and positively-driven feeding-chains in said conveyer.

4. In a device for feeding sheets or packs to sheet-rolls, thecombination with the rolls, of a conveyer extending from the rear of therolls around to, the front thereof, said conveyer having its ends inline with the same pass of the rolls and in position to receive thesheet or pack from, and feed thesame to, said pass, positively-drivenfeeding-chains in said conveyer, said chains being out ofcontact withthe rolls, and projections or fingers on said chains for engaging thesheet or pack.

5. In a device for feeding sheets or packs to sheet-rolls/thecombination with the rolls, of a conveyer extending from the rear of therolls around to the front thereof, saidconveyer having its ends inlinewith the same pass of the rolls and in position to receive the sheet orpack from, andfeed the same to, said pass, positively-drivenfeeding-chains in saidconveyer and out of contact with the rolls, guidesi on the conveyer and means on the chains engaging said guides.

6. In a device for feeding sheets or packs to sheet-rolls, thecombination with the rolls, ofa conveyer extending from the rear of therolls around to the front thereof, said conveyer ing the opposite sideofsaid conveyer.

7. In a device for feeding sheets or packs to sheet-rolls, thecombination with the rolls, of a conveyer extending from the rear of therolls around to the front thereof,; said conveyor having its ends inposition to receive the sheet or pack from, and feed the same to, saidrolls, and mechanism for extracting the sheets or packs from saidconveyer and reversing the same endwise.

8. In a device for feeding sheets or packs to sheet-rolls, thecombination with the rolls, of a conveyer extending fromthe rear of therolls around to the front thereof, said conveyer having its ends inposition to receive the sheet or pack from, and feed the same to, saidrolls, positively-driven feeding means in said conveyer, and mechanismfor extracting the. sheets or packs from the conveyer,-revers1ng:

the same endwise and returning the same to the rolls. 1

9. In a device for feeding sheets or packs to sheet-rolls, thecombination with the rolls, of

a conveyer extending from the rear of'the rolls around to the frontthereof, saidconveyer having its ends in position to receive the sheetor pack from, and feed the same to, said rolls, a frame adjacent to saidconveyer, and means for moving'said frame to project one end thereofinto the conveyer.

10. In a device for feeding sheets or pack to sheet-rolls, thecombination with the rolls, of a conveyer extending from the rear of therolls around to the front thereof, said conveyer having its ends inposition to receive the sheet or packfrom, and feed the same to,

said rolls, a frame in proximity to the conveyer in position to have oneend enter said conveyer, and mechanism operating in connection with saidpivoted frame adapted to receive the pack therefrom and present the sameto the rolls rear end first.

11. In a device for feeding sheets or packs to sheet-rolls, thecombination with the rolls, of a conveyer extending from the rear of therolls over the same to the front thereof, positively-driven means insaid conveyer, a frame pivoted adjacent the conveyer in position to haveone end enter the conveyer and receive the pack or sheet therefrom, apivoted fork adapted to receive the pack from the frame and to returnthe same to the rolls rear end first.

12. In a device for feeding plates or packs to sheet-rolls, thecombination with the rolls, of a conveyer extending from the rear of therolls around to the front thereof, said conveyer being out of contactwith the rolls and havingits ends in position to receive the sheet orpack from, and feed the same to, said rolls, and a feed-table in frontof the rolls below the front end of the conveyer in position to feed asheet or bar to said rolls.

13. In a device for feeding sheets or packs to sheet-rolls, thecombination with the rolls, of a positively-driven conveyer extendingfrom the rear of the rolls around to the front thereof, said conveyerhaving its ends in position to receive the sheet or pack from, and feedthe same to, said pass, a feed-table in front of the rolls below thefront end of the conveyer in position for feeding sheets or bars to therolls, a frame pivoted in proximity to the conveyer and adapted to enterthe conveyer and receive the sheet or pack therefrom, and a pivoted forkadapted to receive the pack therefrom from the pivoted frame and to bethen rocked to deliver the sheet or pack to the feed-table.

In testimony whereof I, the said FRITZ OSCAR STROMBORG, have hereuntoset my hand.

FRITZ OSCAR STROMBORG.

Witnesses:

ROBERT C. TOTTEN, F. W. WINTER.

